1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is that of air engines not involving internal combustion. More particularly, the engine is a Stirling type air engine but such an engine using epitrochoidal rotors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Significant examples of prior art which are relating to the Stirling type engine are as follows:
Article, Air Engines, The Engineer, April of 1959, pages 568-571.
Article, Air Engines, The Engineer, Apr. 3, 1959, pages 522-527.
Article, Popular Science, February, 1973, Stirling cycle engine--, February, 1973, pages 71-76.
The history of and the nature of Stirling cycle engines is explained in the foregoing literature and in other literature. Typically, the engines described in the literature are engines using receprocating pistons. A serious problem in such engines has been the sealing, the difficulties of sealing stemming from the inability to lubricate areas to be sealed because of the temperatures involved. With respect to prior art patents, reference is made to the following:
The U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,483,694; 3,426,525; 3,509,718; 3,763,649; 3,800,526; and 4,009,573. Typically the engines of these patents are described as hot gas rotary piston engines or rotary piston external combustion engines, etc.
The engine of U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,526 is described as a hot gas engine constructed as a rotary piston engine. The abstract describes it as a hot gas engine in the form of a rotary piston internal combustion engine of trochoidal type of construction. Although the construction is trochoidal, there is only one rotary piston and one piston chamber and the engine is not described as being a Stirling type engine.
Whereas the Stirling type air engines are known and they typically use reciprocating pistons, the prior art does not teach an engine of the Stirling type utilizing, instead of reciprocating pistons, rotary and lobed pistons operating in lobed chambers.
With respect to rotary piston engines as known in the prior art, they all require some type of sealing as between the rotary piston in its orbit and the interior of the rotor housing or piston chamber. Seals in these constructions are complex and difficult to be made effective. The inability or difficulty to provide sealing as between the rotary pistons and the interior of the rotor housing has been a drawback to constructions of this type. Thus, this has been a problem in the prior art which is overcome by the herein invention in a manner as described in detail hereinafter.